The Klaus Covenant
by allstardrew
Summary: The five first job instructors have gone missing and no one in the Maple World can find them. Victoria Island is thrown into chaos as accusations are thrown around. Ossyria is falling apart due to attacks as well as legendary monsters being set free, and one of the heroes are on the brink of death. Can one boy save the Maple World from total destruction?
1. PROLOGUE

**PROLOGUE**

It was a summer afternoon on the famous Maple Island. In the town of Amherst, the sun was brightly shining, fathers were playing with their children, mothers were in their houses cooking dinner for their loved ones and the town was getting ready for this year's Victorian Gathering. Cameron Klaus's bright green eyes lit up as he breathed in the scent of freshly made mushroom shaped sugar cookies. He could almost taste it. Cameron popped his head into the Amherst bakery.

"Getting those snacks ready for the Victorian Gathering?"

"Of course," Rina, a young, plump Amherst baker laughed, "What greater joy is it to see you youngsters enjoying my famous cookies?" It was Cameron's sister, Janie who told him about the snacks the adventurers would get after training every day, and one day, Janie mailed home a cookie to Cameron so he could have a taste. He still remembers the explosion of cinnamon and vanilla, the sparks of chocolate and the wonderful aftertaste it left lingering in his mouth. Ever since then, Cameron's been looking forward to eating those cookies. The auburn haired boy soaked in the sun as he walked down Maple Road, heading toward his home. Cameron opened the ovular door to his house.

"Hey dad, what's for dinner?" he asked as he climbed the stairs and headed to his room. Mr. Klaus, an aged man with wire-rimmed glasses, hesitated before he replied.

"We're ordering," he said sheepishly.

"Of course we are," Cameron muttered, shaking his head. But it wasn't Mr. Klaus' fault. He never learned how to cook and was so used to leaving that responsibility to his wife. Cameron thought back to when his mom was still around. Everyday she would bake or cook him something new for supper. She always sang these strange rhymes about adventures and destiny. He still remembers a few of them. One of them resonated deeply within him, "_The power of the darkness, the power of the sea, lead him to his destiny, draw your weapon, look and see, choose your path and set them free". _That's all Cameron remembers. The baking, the rhymes and her bright, warm smile. Since then, Mr. Klaus bought TV dinners more often, the house was usually silent, the stove went unused, and Mr. Klaus went into a period of depression. Everyone gave the Klaus family their condolences, as if Mrs. Klaus were dead; but Cameron knew better. She must've left for a reason. It pained Cameron to think about his mother, so he flopped onto his bed and opened his school textbook for a distraction. But halfway through _The History of Mushrooms VII_, Cameron threw the book across the room. What the heck would he need that for? The Victorian Gathering was tomorrow! He would never have to go to school again! A grin slowly spread across his face, and a surge of happiness soon came rushing back into him. Exploration, training, independence and freedom soon awaited him. Cameron screamed with excitement into his pillow.

His life was about to begin and his dreams were about to come true.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

"Welcome to the two-hundred and sixteenth annual Victorian gathering!" boomed the town's mayor, Lucas. For a crowd of about six hundred people, the cheers were deafening. I stood on the left side of the platform and smiled shyly while my peers pumped their fists in the air and hooted and hollered. To my right were some kids in my class. Dana, a short, chubby girl that always wore pigtails, and Claire, a tall girl that always quoted Shakespeare, apparently she had a disorder, I don't know. For a second there I wouldn't have noticed, but when a tall guy in the front moved back to whisper to his friend, I saw her, smiling and waving to her little brother. Eleven kids across stood Alison. She was absolutely stunning with her long, sleek, straight brown hair, deep hazel eyes, and sparkling pale skin. Literally sparkling, she used some moisturizer or something that had glitter in it. But all in all, she was amazing. I couldn't help but stare, until I was snapped out of my daze when Mayor Lucas spoke again.

"Today we celebrate as another group of diligent youth chooses their path, start their training, and become Explorers!" The crowd cheered once again. Whoop-de-doo. "Evil rose within the Maple world Monsters were born, leaders became corrupted, and the Black Mage came to power and went to work. The five Unique Essences of the Maple World became disrupted, and thus came the fall of Five Heroes," The town elders always told the tale of the Maple World and why they participate in The Gatherings, I knew this tale by heart, "The continents of Edelstein, Victoria Island, and Ossyria, with the help of islands such as Ereve and our very own, Maple Island, rose up and trained the future generations to fight to keep the Maple World safe and in balance!"

I could see some of the crowd members mouthing the last few sentences, and then, once again, the entire crowd exploded into wild cheers. Children waved to their brothers or sisters on stage, parents smiled proudly, and kids gave their friends the thumbs-up, shouting their names with tears in their eyes or grins spread across their faces. But the crowd was soon silenced as the town's bell rang out, signaling the 10 minutes of final goodbyes the Explorers-in-training were able to say to their family and friends.

This was the worst part of the Gathering. It was almost as if you could see a cloud of grief wash over the town. I could feel tears rushing to my eyes. Why was I about to cry? My feet found their way off the stage and wavered through the crowd to find my dad. As soon as I turned to my left I saw the balding head of my dad, thin at the top, bushy at the sides. I ran towards him and squeezed him tighter and tighter until he started squirming.

"Oh God, I'll miss you, Cameron," Dad smiled through. I'm about to leave my father. Just like everyone else. Mom disappeared, Janie left to be an Explorer, and now, I was too. I tried to speak but it felt like something was lodged in my throat. Yet I couldn't cry, not before training and everyone else.

"I'll miss you, dad." was all I could choke out. The bell rang again, signaling the end of the final goodbyes and I broke away from my father and went back up to the stage just like all the other kids. The huge group of kids was split into fifteen smaller groups of about thirty kids each. The smaller groups were led into different trucks by their instructors. I was in the third group, my instructor was Trainer Mei. She had brown hair, dark eyes and tanned skin. The only one in my group I knew was Alison. The trucks started their engines and parents shouted goodbyes to their children, some started to cry and wail. Some parents even tried to run towards the truck their child was in, but they were quickly pushed back by the Amherst law enforcers. I looked at my dad for one second and then I turned away after giving him a small smile and a little wave. Just looking at him made me feel cold and alone. The trucks drove their separate ways into the dark forest and the group of teens waved to their parents as the crowd shrank, until they couldn't see the town of Amherst again.

"So," my new instructor-slash-trainer, Mei, broke the silence, "Why don't we introduce ourselves? We'll go clockwise around the circle; say our names and then three things about ourselves. For example, I'm Mei, your new instructor; I'll be teaching you basic fighting and survival skills and I will help you choose your path. I like to play baseball and I'm an expert swordswoman." Next to Mei was a shy brunette.

"I'm Valarie, b-but you can call me V-Val," she stuttered, "I'm kind of g-good at cooking and I really like b-birds. Oh, my favorite color is pink."

"Cooking is an excellent skill to have for survival, Val," Mei said.

"Thanks." Val blushed. Next to Val was a boy with black hair and a babyish face who reminded me of Rina. The ride was especially boring and I dozed out for a few minutes but my head shot up when I heard Alison's name. She's like, a magnet to me.

"My role model is Empress Cygnus. I've been training for this moment almost all my life and I'm an expert at knife throwing." Alison finished.

"That's very nice! I see a future assassin before me." Mei smiled.

"Why, thank you! I love your top by the way; it is absolutely cuh-ute!" Alison gushed.

"Not as gorgeous as your jeans!" Mei's smile spread even wider. I guess we all know who the teacher's pet is now. I bit my lip. It's not fair of me to even to think that. Everyone loves Alison, and everyone has reason to. She's selfless, gorgeous and kind; hell, even I have some feelings for her. The next boy had black hair and wore an eye patch and dark clothes. But I knew better. The boy was originally blonde, and that tough exterior and smug look he wore fooled no one. He recently bought two cats and named them Fluffy and Snookums. Yeah, I'm not kidding. From the time this boy was born, t'ill sixth grade, he was a completely softy, inside and out. But he had gotten bullied a lot, and after sixth grade he dyed his hair black, wore dark clothes and chains and nicknamed himself something quite strange.

"My name's Thirst and–"

"Thirst? Your name is Thirst?" Mei interrupted, putting up a hand.

"Um, yeah. Got a problem?" he bared his teeth. It was his way of attempting to look menacing.

"Down boy, no one here has a problem," Mei said, "As long as you tell me your real name."

"I like sharp objects, darkness, and my motto is 'don't even mess with me because I will appear in your room at night and the last thing you'll hear is my teeth popping into your–'"

"Next!" Mei groaned. The group went around the circle saying their names and three things about themselves and after a blonde girl with a passion for jaguars introduced herself saying she should've been born in Edelstein, it was my turn.

"Hey, uh, I'm Cam, short for Cameron and I, um, like to, I mean, I like rainy nights and comedy shows and I'm looking forward to um, going to Ludibrium!" Someone had to have taken my brain, put it in a blender and mashed it all back into my skull! If I had a time machine, I would redo every moment like this. I should've said something more intelligent and eloquent, something that made me look like I had potential, like I was skilled and ready for this. I might as well have just cried on my dad's shoulders during the Final Goodbyes.

"A person who looks forward to exploring makes an Explorer." Mei sang. I breathed a sigh of relief, I never thought of it like that, maybe I should've talked about maps or something. As long as I kept saying the right things, like Alison did, I'll make it through. Right? The rest of the group introduced themselves and a few minutes later, the truck made an abrupt stop.

"You're here, now skedaddle." The old bus driver said in a gruff voice.

"Excuse me? You're getting paid to do a service to the community. Being patient while I take my time is part of your job." Mei snapped. She climbed off the bus and stretched her legs. "C'mon down, y'all." She mocked the bus driver's accent. Each student hopped off the bus one by one, looking around, whispering about and warming up their limbs for the upcoming announcement they knew was fast approaching. "Okay guys, time to explain the rules and procedures, terms and conditions, to-may-to, to-mah-to" Mei shouted.

"Um, terms and conditions and rules and procedures are two completely different things." One kid in the back said.

"What?" Mei almost spat, searching for the brave speaker, daring them to speak again.

"Nothing, nothing." He whispered, barely audible.

"Great! Today and tomorrow you will all go through stage one of my four stage training course. The first three stages apply to the different streams that test your physical abilities, your mentality, and your survival skills. The last test, my friends, will determine your best suited class in response to your skills that were tested during your first three training sessions. My tests are hard, and I expect you all to follow through. In other courses, they usually fail one or two students, but by the end of my course, 20 of you will pass and 10 of you will fail. The five highest scores of the ten failed entries will become Beginners but will still be shipped to Victoria Island. The rest, however, will stay here on Maple Island. Those who decide to quit during training will also earn the title of a "Beginner", a label you do not want. Beginners are shunned and viewed as incompetents all over Maple World so you had better think twice about making the choice to drop out or not try your hardest. You are all my students now. Obey my commands and listen carefully to me or you will end up dead. That is not a threat, it is a promise. I am the best trainer on this island and I do not want to lose that title because some reckless Neanderthal decided not to listen to my instructions. Are we clear as crystal?"

The only thing you could hear is the buzz of the insects in the forest, not a sound came from the group.

"Excellent! You guys ready for stage one?" Mei's pigtails bounced up and down as she hopped on each foot, rubbing her hands together. "I said are you guys ready for stage one?" she shouted. We assured her with a loud, unified "Yes". Mei smiled. She walked deeper into the forest with us following behind. We ended up in front a wide cave and in it held an abundant amount of weapons, glistening in the sun in all their glory. A tall boy ran toward the cave and reached for a machete, but before he could grab it Mei quickly held her sword in front of the weapon and the kid pulled back.

"Uh-Uh!" Mei shook her head. "Patience, my darling." The boy backed away, heavily blushing. I took in the sight of all those gleaming weapons and then a though occurred to me: I have no fighting experience or weapon training. If she was going to make us fight, how in the world am I supposed to pass? After everyone caught up, the group stood around in awkward silence waiting for Mei's next instructions. Randomly, a cloud of smoke blew up a few feet above our heads and what seemed to be a remote dropped right into Mei's cupped hands.

"Perfect!" she chimed. "Time to initiate stage one! Now, I know this might seem scary, but it isn't, I swear on my life it isn't. When I press this button, a cage will open a few miles from here, and a few beasts, err, I mean, monsters, will run over here. I want each of you to select a weapon from that cave and kill as many monsters as you can." Every kid's eyes scanned the cave looking for a weapon that best suited them.

"Isn't this so awesome" Alison leaned over to me and whispered. Oh my God, she talked to me. I'm no geek or anything, but in school we were on opposite ends of the social scale. She was the highest of the highest and I was near the bottom. But now, it didn't matter; I'm not just the quiet kid in the back. I can be anything I want. I raised my chin a little.

"Totally," I glanced at her.

"And, uh, I forgot to mention one teensy tidbit," Mei continued, "The five first job instructors are watching over you every time you train and everything you do counts toward which job suits you best. Good luck!" Panic coursed through me. I could see it now: the five First Job Instructors watching my progress with a disappointed look on their face, shaking their heads– condemning me to the title of a Beginner. How in the world am I supposed to impress the legendary five? Before anyone could retort to Mei's late information, she quickly pressed a button near the front of the remote and a loud creaking noise rang out. It was total confusion, kids scattered to different ends of the cave to find a weapon. Alison strode to the far left of the cave and I pondered whether or not I should follow her, but I didn't want to seem like I was too attached. I started at the right and slowly started to walk to the left looking at the different shiny weapons and taking in my options. One student quickly dashed in front of me and plucked a dagger off its pedestal and started swinging it elegantly and skillfully in the air. He was an Ex-Grad. That was the name for the kids who've trained for this moment their entire life. Some of them decide to pursue this by themselves but most of them are signed up for this and trained by their parents. I remember I had a friend once in the third grade that never played with me because their dad wanted to teach them how to use a weapon or something. All of us other kids sign up for this regardless mainly because we want to explore the world and if you don't sign up without a reason to stay on Maple Island, you're viewed as a coward.

In the corner of my eye I see a short, wooden stick that rests in an open leather case. That must be a wand. A few feet away, I could see a small kid holding a slightly taller, darker wand before his face in both hands chanting something. A few seconds later, pieces of ice shaped like swords feel right in front of him shattering into a million pieces as it hit the floor. I never did have that kind of power and I have to admit, I'm pretty jealous of those who do. There were kids in my class that held pencils with sparks of light shooting out of it or had mouths gaping open because they discovered that they were slightly levitating in their chair. They would show their friends and stare with awe at their newly found power. Some of them even full on used their magic in class if they were experienced enough with it. They would do things like write without touching the pencil itself or pull pranks on the teacher. One time a teacher tried to pick up a piece of chalk but the chalk kept shifting side to side and soon the joke got out of hand and anything that the teacher tried to touch shifted away from him. Everyone laughed. I didn't. Most of the kids who discovered their powers became mages, but my dad told me that the ones who didn't ended up being Beginners working in gloomy factories all over Maple World supplying power for towns and cities. I shuddered at the thought.

_Twenty will pass and ten will fail. _Making top twenty will be hard with all these Ex Grads and mages competing with me. How in the world was I going to pass this training, much less stage one? If failed mages end up acting as a power supply; what the hell would my future hold? Just thinking about it makes me cringe.

"Ten minutes until the monsters arrive, choose your weapons and break them in!" Mei shouted. Beads of sweat dripped down my neck. A whistling sound approached my left ear speedily and without thinking, I turned. Two blades whisked past me, skimming my cheek and hitting the target all the way to the right of the cave. Some of the students cursed in alarm, in exchange, a girl let out a lilting laugh. I looked for the source of the sound and saw Alison. She's an Ex-Grad too. She noticed me staring and her lips curved into a sly smile. Alison winked then spun on her heels and threw another knife at the left target, directly hitting the middle.

"Five minutes! I can hear footsteps!" Mei shouted. I paced through the cave. I don't have enough muscle for a sword; I have no super magical abilities either. What the hell does that leave? There's a bow, a gun, and a dagger. Scattered on the floor beside a scimitar was a pair of knucklers. On a gold pedestal held a crossbow, and beside that was a black case full of throwing knives.

"They're here! Go! Go! Go!" Mei screamed. Kids scrambled everywhere and ran into the forest. War cries and screams rang out. The sounds of blades hitting flesh and claws scraping metal stung my ear drums. What in the world were these monsters? Shouldn't we be killing practice pigs? I had no time to think, only act. I picked up the weapon closest to me, turned away from the cave and ran into the forest.


End file.
